For conventional design of door locking mechanisms, such as that used on doors for wood stoves and the like, the options are generally limited to single-action latching systems or cam-style locking mechanisms. While both options can provide for closure and lock of a door, both have various disadvantages.
For example, for single-action latching systems, a catch device and a latch handle are provided for locking of the door. As the door is being closed by pressing the latch handle for engagement against the catch device, the single-action latching system tends to “kick-back” against the latch handle, often providing an uncomfortable feeling to the user. As a result, such single-action latching systems are typically closed slowly with deliberate effort to minimize the impact of any “kick-back” or other like action.
For cam-style locking mechanisms, a cam mechanism is provided in addition to the catch device and latch handle to provide for closure and locking. However, before locking can be achieved, the cam-style locking mechanism requires proper alignment of the cam mechanism in a particularly correct position to engage the catch device. This requires the user to suitably turn the latch handle and particularly orient the cam mechanism to an appropriate rotational position before the locking mechanism can be engaged.
In addition, both single-action latching systems and cam-style locking mechanisms have difficulty, or will not work altogether, in slamming the door shut, e.g., the door will tend to “bounce-back” and remain in an open position. Further, during the sealing of the door after locking, both single-action latching systems and cam-style locking mechanisms have problems due to the manner that a gasket surrounding the door is compressed.